USA SESYNC Socio-Environmental Immersion Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 2019

Scholarship Description:

USA SESYNC Socio-Environmental Immersion Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 2019 is open for . The scholarship allows Post Doctorate level program(s) in the field of Natural Sciences, Social Sciences taught at . The deadline of the scholarship is .

The new Socio-Environmental Immersion Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is now available for the year 2019. International applicants are welcome to apply.

The program is designed to advance their understanding of theories and methods foundational to research on socio-environmental systems and to provide training in interdisciplinary and actionable science.

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) brings together the science of the natural world with the science of human behaviour and decision making to find solutions to complex environmental problems. The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) offers an integrated program for collaborative and individual research focused on critical problems in socio-environmental science.

Degree Level: Fellowship is available to study postdoctoral programme.

Available Subject: SESYNC currently has 20 postdoctoral scholars in residence whose expertise spans the social sciences and natural sciences.

Scholarship Benefits: Appointments will be through the University of Maryland, and fellowship awardees will be based full-time at SESYNC’s facilities in Annapolis, Maryland. The fellowship provides a competitive annual stipend, full University of Maryland employee benefits, and a small annual travel allowance to attend meetings or to meet with collaborators. Postdoctoral fellowships are awarded for a maximum of two years and include professional development and mentoring opportunities beyond the Immersion Program workshop series, as well as opportunities to participate in ongoing Center activities. SESYNC Collaborating Mentors will also receive support to travel to SESYNC to work with the Fellow.

Eligible Nationalities: International applicants are welcome to apply.

Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Applicants may hold a doctoral degree in any natural, physical, or social science discipline. To be eligible for the program, candidates must have received their doctoral degrees within four years prior to the start of the fellowship appointment (no earlier than June 15, 2015, and no later than July 1, 2019). Candidates who are offered a fellowship but do not complete their PhD by July 1, 2019, will have to reapply. Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. International applicants are welcome to apply; however, please note that we follow University of Maryland visa procedures and requirements; visas are not guaranteed.

SESYNC encourages applications from groups underrepresented in SESYNC research, including scholars from developing countries, participants from underrepresented U.S. minorities (African Americans, American Indians including Native Alaskans, Hispanics, and Native Pacific Islanders), and persons with disabilities. Please see NSF’s policy on Broadening Participation for more information on such efforts. The University of Maryland is an equal opportunity employer.

English Language Requirements: Applicants whose first language is not English are usually required to provide evidence of proficiency in English at the higher level required by the University.

Application Procedure: 

Step 1: Preliminary Screening

Preliminary Screening Application Deadline: October 24, 2018

All interested candidates must first submit a pre-screening application to ensure the applicant’s background and interests are an appropriate match for SESYNC’s program. Final proposals will only be accepted from applicants who have successfully completed the pre-screening process.

Applicants that have not yet received their PhD must include a letter from their graduate advisor or a committee member that verifies expectations for date of degree completion. This must be included as part of the pre-screening application.

Pre-screening applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Because the process of co-developing a proposal with a Collaborating Mentor takes a substantial amount of time, we strongly encourage pre-screening applications be submitted as soon as possible. Access to the Mentor Registry and the URL for the online application site will be emailed to all applicants who have been approved via the pre-screening application process.

To submit your pre-screening application, please click here.

Step 2: Selecting Collaborating Mentor

Applicants are responsible for initiating and developing the relationship with a Collaborating Mentor with whom they might be interested in co-developing a synthesis research project. Collaborating Mentors cannot be current or former advisors, dissertation committee members, or individuals with whom the candidate has published.

There are two pathways to selecting a Collaborating Mentor:

Option 1: Applicants may contact potential Collaborating Mentors listed on SESYNC’s Mentor Registry. SESYNC will provide Registry access to all successfully pre-screened prospective applicants. The Mentor Registry will include preliminary project ideas, short bios, and contact information for scholars who have expressed interest in working with SESYNC postdocs. Applications for the Mentor Registry are due by October 24, 2018.

Option 2: Applicants may recruit a potential Collaborating Mentor not listed in SESYNC’s Mentor Registry. If a Collaborating Mentor is not already listed on the SESYNC Mentor Registry, they a must submit the CV and a statement of expectations by the Collaborating Mentor application deadline of October 24, 2018. SESYNC must approve all potential Collaborating Mentors to ensure they understand the commitment they are making to a fellow’s progress and success.

Co-Mentors are permitted provided: 1) co-mentors both agree to contribute to the project and mentor the applicant equally, 2) there are no more than two co-mentors, and 3) co-mentors agree to share the travel funds and honorarium. More information on the Collaborating Mentor application process can be found here.

Step 3: Proposal Co-Development with Collaborating Mentor

All proposals must be co-developed with a Collaborating Mentor, with the applicant taking the lead in writing and developing the proposal. In order to be competitive, applicants should begin working with their collaborative mentors on their proposal as soon as possible. Therefore, applicants are strongly encouraged to finalize commitments with Collaborating Mentors to work together in developing a proposal for the fellowship application by November 14, 2018. However, no official notification to SESYNC is required on this date.

Step 4: Final Application

Final Application Deadline: November 30, 2018, 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

Only those applicants who are successfully pre-screened are eligible to submit an application. Once approved, applicants will receive detailed instructions on how to submit the required components below.  

Applications must be submitted as a single PDF, using single spacing, 12-pt type fonts, and 1-inch margins with all sections in the following order:

1. Cover Sheet


2. Research Proposal


3. Status of Synthesis Material


4. Anticipated Cyberinfrastructure Needs


5. Interdisciplinary Goals


6. Full CV of the Applicant

Incomplete applications will not be sent for review.

Scholarship Link

Deadline: November 30, 2018

Degree Level:

USA SESYNC Socio-Environmental Immersion Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 2019 is available to undertake Post Doctorate level programs at .

Available Subjects:

Following subject are available to study under this scholarship program.

• Natural Sciences
• Social Sciences